Jean Driscoll

Jean was born in Milwaukee, WI with spina bifida (an open spine). It affected her ability to walk and included other neurological complications as well. Although there were challenges during childhood, her determination to get the most out of life was always there. She began using a wheelchair at the age of 15 and after learning about wheelchair sports from a high school friend, she started pursuing athletic opportunities with fervor. The Milwaukee Public Schools Division of Recreation provided her first wheelchair sports experiences. After being recruited to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, world-renowned coaches developed her into one of the world’s most successful competitors.

During her career, Jean was the first eight time winner of the Boston Marathon. She set 5 new course records as well as 5 world best times and held Boston’s fastest time in the women’s wheelchair division from 1990 to 2011. Her record for the 26.2 mile distance was 1 hour, 34 minutes and 22 seconds. In addition to her success in Boston, Jean also won two Olympic medals, 12 Paralympic medals, and still holds the world record in the 10,000 meter (6.2 mile) track event that was set during the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. Jean remains the only 12–time champion of the Lilac Bloomsday 12K Road Race held in Spokane, Washington and still owns the course record in her division from 1995.

Her successes have been celebrated by many. The University of Rhode Island and the Massachusetts School of Law awarded her Honorary Doctorate degrees in 1997 and 2002 respectively. Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines provided Jean with one of its highest honors in 2003 when they named her the Godmother of their Voyager Class Series ship, Mariner of the Seas (pictured below). She is also in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ “Hall of Champions.” and the Wheelchair Sports, USA Hall of Fame.

Jean retired from her successful racing career following the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia. For over 20 years, she has offered encouragement and motivation as a speaker to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Through a partnership that began in 2001 with Joni and Friends, Inc., Jean began working with people who have disabilities in Ghana, West Africa. Her alma mater, the University of Illinois, has caught the vision and is now supporting this work as well. In addition to motivational speaking, Jean works as the Assistant Dean for Advancement in the College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois.

Bladder Continence

SPINA BIFIDA CHILD

“I GIVE THE MACE PROCEDURE 5STARS. MY GRANDCHILD HAS HAD THIS SINCE HE WAS ABOUT 2YRS OLD AND HE IS 10NOW. HE HAS NEVER HAD ANY BAD EXPERIENCE. WE FLUSH HIM EVERY OTHER NIGHT AND THIS KEEPS HIM CLEANED OUT; HE DOESN'T HAVE ACCIDENTS ON HIMSELF AND HE GOES TO SCHOOL AND IS JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER CHILD. THEY SEE NO DIFFERENCE IN HIM AND HE HAS NEVER HAD TO BE EMBARACED ABOUT SMELLING OR USING THE BATHROOM ON HIMSELF. THIS IS A SCHEDULE THAT WE STICK TO, THIS HAS BEEN THE BEST THING FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!!! LOVE IT !!!!!”

Molasses are magic

“My baby was on Miralax from 4 months to 10 months old. Despite being entirely breastfed, she became constipated within days of starting Ditropan for her bladder. I hated having to give her the Miralax and never even achieved very good results. I heard about using emulsified fish oils and blackstrap molasses as an alternative. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first. I started with just the fish oils, which did make the stools very slippery but not soft enough. I then added the molasses - wow, magic!! The stools are now the perfect consistency, much better than I could ever achieve with Miralax. And we have the added health benefits of fish oils (heart and joint health, brain health, etc) and molasses (great source of iron that won't cause constipation). The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is that my baby initially was not a fan of the flavors and it takes a bit to find the perfect dose. However, I am finding easier ways to get the supplements in and flavored fish oils help too. We are also able to mix her daily probiotic right in with these supplements to really round out her bowel health.”

Diaper cream and cloth diapers

“I swear by cloth diapers. Not only does it greatly reduce the incidence of diaper rash, but also help reduce waste and reduce cost. Cloth diapering these days is very, very simple - no more diaper pins and folding! Seriously soooooo easy! When there is diaper rash, you can still use diaper creams, but have to be careful to not get the creams onto the diaper (some of them can damage the wicking/drying ability of the diaper). I just put a single Via paper towel between the diaper and baby to protect the diaper when using creams. My LO recently had a fungal diaper rash after being on mega antibiotics for a presumptive UTI. My favorite cream to use was a mixture of Critic-Aid (by Coloplast), any OTC anti-yeast cream (like Vagisil), and hydrocortisone. I hated using medicated ointment, but it cleared the rash up quickly, so I could go right back to plain cloth diapers without the paper towel and only natural creams when needed.”

- Tracy

Water therapy in all forms is amazing!

“My 11 year old with SB is a mermaid! She is the first one in the pool or lake and the last one out of our 5 kids. She tells me she feels "lighter" in the water and "more mobile." I have noticed that after our aquatic therapy sessions or a week at the lake, she is much more confident, mobile, and generally in better health. I highly recommend finding a therapist who is willing to work in water or find a swim instructor who has experience with special-needs kids.”

- Lydia Wells

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